Quote of the Day 12/23/11

Quote of the Day - 12/22/11

“Christmas is a time when people of all religions come together to worship Jesus Christ.” - Bart Simpson

OK, so this is funny because it’s the cartoon character Bart Simpson talking.  Unfortunately many people (who are not cartoon characters) believe that there are many ways to Heaven; that Jesus is not the only way to God.  The popular belief is that we all can be right and to not be excepting of other faiths is intolerant.  The truth is that if you believe what Jesus said in any part of the Bible, you must believe that He is who He said He is.  And, if you believe that Jesus is who He said He is, you must believe that by believing in Jesus, and only Jesus, you will go to Heaven.  There is no grey area here.

As Christians we come together at Christmas time not to worship a myth, we come to worship the birth of our Savior.  Jesus is the only hope we have of ever being reconciled to God.  Without Jesus, we would be lost in sin and forever separated from God.

So Christmas is a time to celebrate the sacrifice that our Heavenly Father gave in order that His creation could once again stand in His presence.  Christmas is about Jesus.  To celebrate Christmas with Jesus is like having a birthday party for someone and not inviting them to their party.  Invite Jesus into your heart this Christmas.  He is the most precious gift you will ever receive.

1 John 5:11

And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

Quote of the Day 11/15/11

“I can't imagine more surprising places for God to appear than a manger or a cross. Yet all through his life and resurrection, Jesus demonstrates the power of showing and sharing God's love. Every time I write a script or a song or walk into the studio, I pray 'Let some word that is heard be Thine.' That's really all that matters.“

- Mr. Fred Rogers

As Christians, Mr. Rogers' prayer should be our prayer as well.  Not just in the work place but as we get up in the morning to start the day.  God needs to be glorified in everything we do, think and say. 

It has been said many times that we are the first “Jesus” that someone will meet.  If that is true, how did you represent Christ today? 

As representatives of Christ, we need to be alert and accountable.  God is present everywhere all the time.  God has always known our thoughts and yet we are forgiven.  He sent His Son to die for all the sinful thoughts and actions we have committed and all the ones we will commit.  If that is not deserving of our obedient faithfulness, I don’t know what is.

I pray that our work, thoughts and life give glory to God.

 

Ephesians 2:10

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Quote of the Day - 11/11/11

“Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.” – Ben Stein

It’s easy to get angry at the freedom from religion groups and atheists with all the anti-Christian lawsuits and attacks going on today.  They want to remove “In God We Trust” from our money, “under God” from our pledge and any cross within eyeshot.  What it really comes down to is they don’t like being told that what they are doing is wrong.  That a just God will hold all of us accountable one day for the blasphemy and perversions they deem acceptable.  That there is not real “truth.”  That morals and values are very personal and what ever you do is OK as long as you don’t mention Jesus.

Well, we cannot back down from these attacks on Christianity and the Truth of the Bible.  It would be one thing if the attacks were just against icons or the written word, but it doesn’t stop there. Anti Christian groups want to teach false truths to our children in our schools.  They have already taken out prayer from the schools and now promote contraceptives and abortion, but will not teach abstence.  In recent news it has been dictated that schools must teach the benefits that those with different sexual preferences have had in our history.  What about teaching about how Jesus and the Bible have formed the foundation of which our country was built?

I know it sounds like I am angry, and I am.  But as I study the Bible, read about other religions and listen to atheist debates, I am more convinced that God is real and we need to strive to live our lives according to His Word.  We need to follow and accept Jesus as our Lord and share the gospel with as many people as possible before it is too late.  We can do this in a winsome way.  We can use our God given talents to spread the Gospel to the lost and encourage the believer and we must teach our children.  In all this frustration, I do find comfort in the scriptures where it says that ALL will one day acknowledge Jesus.  Once again, we can rest in the promises of our God Almighty.

Philippians 2:10-11

so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Quote of the Day 11/08/11

"Our fates are in the hands of An Almighty God, to whom I can with pleasure confide my own; he can save us, or destroy us; his Councils are fixed and cannot be disappointed, and all his designs will be Accomplished." - Abraham Clark

As I talk and pray for and with many people who are sick, losing their jobs or in otherwise desperate situations these days, I find comfort in that fact that God is in control.  Our situation may seem too big for us to wrap our minds around, but not for God, the creator of everything.

I am also reminded that this upcoming weekend is International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.  There are many Christians throughout the world, including the United Sates, who speak boldly for their faith and then assaulted or even killed. 

Please remember to pray for our Brothers and Sisters as they represent Christ in hostile environments.

1 Timothy 4:10

For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.  - Paul the Apostle, martyred in Rome 65AD

Quote of the Day 9/28/11

"To be silent does not mean to be inactive; rather it means to breathe in the will of God, to listen attentively and be ready to obey." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Quote of the Day 9/27/11

 “You have the opportunity to be a part of something bigger then yourself.”

- Pastor Perry Nobel – New Spring Church SC.

Pastor Perry Noble leads a “mega church” in South Carolina.  The services are not traditional and the worship time can seem like a rock concert, but the attendance is growing.  Some might see the approach of New Spring as merely entertainment, but people are hearing the true gospel and being saved.  The message in the sermons is clearly biblical and Perry makes no apologies for what God has told us in His Word.

In the quote above from Pastor Perry he calls for us to think beyond ourselves.  As Christ followers we have the responsibility to share the Good News with everyone, particularly the ones we love most.  Some of us are not comfortable sharing our faith with people even with close friends or family.  However God has given each of us talents that we can use to share the Gospel and reach those around us without being in an intimate situation. 

We are all creative people.  Please think about creative ways to share God’s Word and then put that into action.  Are you up to the challenge?  God has already empowered you and placed you where you are for His purpose.  Pray about it and then act on it.

Philippians 2:3-5

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.  Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,